The ability for a system of governance to uniquely identify individuals is fundamental to a functioning society. As a result, it is desirable to uniquely identify individuals with a low probability that the individuals are fake and also with a low probability of deception. It is also desirable to allow identified individuals the ability to make provable statements with a low probability of forgery.
Current techniques for verifying an individual's identity are based on tying the individual's identity to a government issued document, such as a driver's license, passport, birth certificate, social security card, etc. These forms of identity verification require government support, and with some effort can be falsified. Private identity systems that currently exist are also based on government created documents, and so are also susceptible to the same flaws of having counterfeits. Fake identities are problematic because they allow individuals to subvert traditional channels of responsibility. Identity theft is also problematic because it causes innocent people to be harmed by the actions of bad actors. As a result, there is a need for improved identity verification to overcome these issues.